The Columbus journal., 1887-01-05
nRmLIANr


sketch Of the Basy Life Of the
Distinguished Soldier.
However men may differ as to the
calibre of John A. Logan's states
manship, no one will deny that he
WAS n of the mOst remarkable men
in public life, with q remarkable
career behind him and . re markable
hold upon the masses of people.
Logan was developed by the war.
The cavalry bugler sounded the key.
note of his character, and in an at
mosphere of dust snd powder he
grew great. A country lawyer, who
found his highest ambition in stirring
the languid blood of the criminal
jury, sprang suddenly to the head of
an army, without previous military
education, by the mere force of his
courage and his martial instincts.
He was the representative Of the
loyal millions, the oeau ideal Of the
volunteer soldier, and as such IN his-
tory will he live.
The story that he has Indian blood
in his veins is q myth, founded upon
the color of his skin and hair. and Is
totally untrue. His father was q
physiciau, John Logan by name, and
came to America from Ireland only
three years before the senator was
born. Ills mother was Elizabeth
Jenkins, and her family lived in
Tennessee. Logan was born in
Murphysboro, a little town among
the hills that hem in the Mississ ippi
river, and was the eldest of eleven
children. His early education was
such only as the frontier afforded,
and was gained at his mothers knee
and in the log school house where An
itinerant teacher at intervals pre-
sided. When be was Is years old be
was cent to the nearest school, called
Shiloh academy, under the jurisdic-
ton of the Methodist church, and
graduated from it into tho Mexican
war. He joined the First Illinois
regiment as . private, but the mil
ilary ins,iuct developed, and he after
wards became a lieutensnt,and served
both IS adjutant and quartermaster
of his regiment. At the close of the
war he went into the law Office OF his
uncle, Alexander Jenkins, who was
a great a in southern Illinois, q
Jacksonian Democrat, aud at one
time lieutenant governor Of his
state.
Ii WAS the love of contest that took
him at once into politics, and in 1851
he was elected clerk of Jackson
county. By means Of the revenues Of
this Office he was enabled TO carry on
his law studies and took a course OF
lectures at Louisville during the fol-
lowing year, which constituted and
completed his legal education. AT
once upon his return from Louis
vile. in 1852, he was elected prose.
cutting attorney Of jackson county,
and went to the state legislature in
the following year; being reelected
and gaining a local leadership in the
Democratic party, which was recog-
nized by his appointment as presi-
Dental electOr on tie Buchanan ticket
in 1856.
AT this point lie began bis career as
a. stump orator, and HE speeches
were considered remarkable cx.
amples of eioquence, giving him a
reputation that sent him 10 congress-
ia 1858. lie was an earnest Doug
lass man, and, being renominated 10
congress in 1850, stumped the state
with great success
Right here came a critical period
in his career, and although there are
men who still sssert that his SYM
pathy WAS with the secsssionists
there is plenty OF evidence that the
south had no claim npOn him !; that.
whatever his original sentiments may
have been, his public utferauces were
always loyal. and that when the
crisis came he was on the right side.
The country be lived in was full OF
southern sympathizers, his mothers
family were secessionists, and his
surroundings made loyalty unpop-
ular. The story that he rendered bis
services to jefferson Davis, is con-
tradic,ed by that gentleman. who
says he never heard of Logan until
more than a year after the war begun.
There are several witnesses
to the fact that in Novem.
Der, 1860. when Lincoln's election
was assured and threats were freely
made that he should not be inaugur-
ated, Logan publicly declared that he
would shoulder a Rail- Splitter to the
White House.
While he was in Washington at
tending the called session of congress
in the summer of 1861, be went to the
front, "a many representatives did, to
visit the army in Virginia, and being
the guest of Col. Richardson when
the battle of Bull Run took place, be
was given a musket ard fought
through that eventful July day az q
private in the ranks.
When congress adjourned in Aug
ust he went home and at once raised
. regiment (the thirty.fi-st Illinois)
went into battle at Belmont
two months after they were mustered
into the army. In the siege of Fort
, >~s-z